York sports move away from nights due to EEE, West Nile virus

YORK, Maine — Other schools have been understanding of York High School’s decision to suspend night games until the threat of biting mosquitoes and Eastern equine encephalitis subsides with the first frost, according to Athletic Director Ted Welch.

Maine CDC recommends the following preventative measures to protect against EEE and other mosquito-borne illnesses:

Spray: Use an EPA-approved repellent when outdoors, especially around dawn...

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SAFETY TIPS

Maine CDC recommends the following preventative measures to protect against EEE and other mosquito-borne illnesses:

Spray: Use an EPA-approved repellent when outdoors, especially around dawn and dusk. Always follow instructions on the product’s label.

Clothing: Wear protective clothing when outdoors, including long-sleeved shirts, pants and socks. Limit time outdoors at dawn and dusk when many species of mosquitoes are most active.

The home: Keep window and door screens down to keep mosquitoes out.

Water: Remove containers holding water in and around the home, as water can attract mosquitoes.

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YORK, Maine — Other schools have been understanding of York High School’s decision to suspend night games until the threat of biting mosquitoes and Eastern equine encephalitis subsides with the first frost, according to Athletic Director Ted Welch.

In fact, Kennebunk and Wells high schools made the same decision shortly after York High School announced on the first day of school, Sept. 3, that night games for soccer and football would be moved to 4 p.m., instead of evening start times. The move was made due to a recommendation from the Maine Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to end play athletic fields by dusk, Welch said.

“The people in our community and other communities of schools we play have been very understanding and cooperative, due to the raised awareness about EEE and West Nile in general,” Welch said Sept. 5. “We’ve moved game times up, we’re trying to finish before sunset. It does not affect practices because we practice after school.”

For teams travelling a fair distance, “we don’t want to disrupt their day,” Welch said. This sometimes means playing on Saturday afternoons, rather than Friday nights. For instance the football home game against Mount Blue in Farmington, originally scheduled for Friday night, will be played at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28.

“I know the students are disappointed; they really look forward to night games.” Welch said. “The feedback I’ve got from parents is very cooperative. It’s a good thing it’s not the entire season.”

Welch said York High School also rescheduled night games due to the EEE threat in 2005.

The Maine CDC reported a second positive test for EEE in a mosquito pool on Bog Road in York on Aug. 30; the first was on Aug. 20.

The mosquitoes found were the type to bite birds, and not humans. During the same week, a man-biting mosquito pool was identified in Newington, N.H. Infected mosquito pools have also been found in Alfred and in Greenland, N.H., with more reports expected, according to Dr. Sheila Pinette, director of the Maine CDC. No human cases have been reported in these findings.

York Town Manager Rob Yandow said officials are trying to raise awareness without being alarmist. “This is the first test that’s come back positive for a man-biter,” Yandow said Monday of the Newington mosquito pool. “EEE and West Nile are all around us.”

As yet, there have been no positive tests in York for a human-biting mosquito.

To be safe, school officials want students off fields before dark, when mosquitoes are more prevalent, until Oct. 1, around the time of the first frost. Youth teams using the Bog Road and Village Elementary School athletic fields have also moved soccer and football practices to earlier times to end by dusk.